Still Here
by Sansaryas
Summary: ***wrongly placed!*** Since there's no category for the White Queen - (And why isn't there one anyways!) I had to place it under something else... This is a wishlist gift for xtaintedaffections on youtube - It didn't turn out as I'd hoped, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to re-write it/write something else so I found it better to post it now and see what happens later...


Anne was clearing the dishwasher as she heard voices, giggling and a closing door. Less than 30 seconds later, Isabel danced into the kitchen of the sisters' apartment.

"Anne, he's so amazing!" She said, grabbing her younger sister's hands, and twirling her around. Anne who was tired after a long day of work, and then coming home to clean, only managed a small smile for her sister. "And do you wanna know the best thing?"

Honestly? Not really. But she wouldn't let her sister down. Izzy had met George almost 4 months ago in the café where both of the girls worked. Isabel had been swooning over him, since she first laid his eyes on him, but it had taken almost two months before she had in the end given in and asked him out on a date. It had gone quite well, judging by the fact that they'd been out on 7 dates by now. And while Anne was filled with joy by seeing her sister this happy, she wasn't too fond of George. She never mentioned it to her sister though, not wanting to ruin her fun.

"What is it?" She asked, trying to sound interested. Isabel smirked at her, before leaning down and dramatically whispering:

"He has a brother." She stood back up, a big smile on her face. Anne knew what she was was planning, and she was not gonna let that happen.

"No. No way, Izzy, just no." She said, before turning from her obviously disappointed sister and back to the dishwasher,

"But Anne!" Her sister nearly whined. When Anne didn't react to it, she went over to a new method. "He's a model..." She said in such a persuasive voice, the devil himself wouldn't be able to do it better. Anne was used to her sister though, and was not easily persuaded.

"I said no, and that's my final answer." She replied simply, before closing the dishwasher, and turning to leave the kitchen. Her sister made a loud "hmpf"-ish sound.

"Fine then, suit yourself. If you want to be alone for the rest of your life, it's not really my problem, is it now?" She said in her overdramatic voice. Anne just rolled her eyes. She had only just turned 20 - Her whole life was ahead of her, and she didn't need a man. Not at the moment that is.

She noticed the look her sister gave her, before she disappeared into her room, where she closed her door and sighed loudly. That look... Izzy was scheming.

* * *

Her alarm went of at 7:00 am precisely, and Anne groaned loudly. She had never been a morning person, but her job required her to be in at 8:00, and she desperately needed the money. When she came out in the kitchen, Isabel had already made her two pieces of toast and a cup of coffee. Anne took the plate and the cup, and sent her sister a grateful smile as she entered their living room.

"You should get up earlier in the morning." Her sister said, sending her an accusing glance.

"Why would I? I have all the time I need." Anne replied calmly, and her sister rolled her eyes.

"Our bus leaves in 20 minutes. You haven't even brushed your hair."

"The job doesn't require us to do so." Anne shrugged, and Isabel sighed loudly.

"No, but seriously, you're gonna want to look nice today..." She said, as she went to add some finishing touches to her own hair. Anne chewed slowly, while her sister's words sunk in.

"Izzy... What exactly are you talking about?" She asked, as she got up from the table to clear her used plate. Isabel re-entered with a brush, and before Anne knew, she was the 5-year old little sister again, being pinned to the seat by her older sister, who was frantically trying to make her look presentable. "Izzy, stop it! Tell me what you mean instead!" Anne demanded, as she tried to shook her sister away. Isabel was not giving in though, and she said no more until they she thought her little sister's hair was alright. She quickly glanced at the clock, and almost immediately turned a shade paler.

"The bus's here in 5 minutes." She breathed out, and the both sprung up from their positions. Anne managed to grab her purse and jump into her shoes, before she was running after her sister, down the stairs. They only had to go two blocks, but it was still far enough for them to miss the buss if they didn't worry. In fact, it was about to drive, when they were lucky enough that the driver saw them in the rear mirror, and stopped to let them catch up and get in. Both were completely out of breath, as they tried to show their gratitude through small smiles. The bus started going again, and the girls stumbled down the rows, to find a seat. There was not a lot of people on the bus at this time of the morning, which always made Anne wonder. Most jobs started around now, so it didn't really make sense. She didn't mind at all though, it was nice for them to be seated.

"Welcome to The Café of York, what can I help you with?" Anne smiled her usual service smile, until she noticed it was George in front of her. Her eyes immediately seeked out the one he was with, and her heart dropped.

"Richard?" She asked curiously. He looked up from the menu card and met her glance, his eyes reflecting the confusion in her own.

"Anne?" He asked, standing up.

"Woah, it's really you. What are you doing here with George?" She was wrinkling her brows in confusion. So was he.

"You know George? He's my brother." He said, looking confusedly over at the other male, who just smiled his mysterious smile.

"Oh.. Your brother..." Anne remembered what Izzy had been talking about last night. "Well, he's dating my sister now." She managed a smile, and as soon as it was on her lips, he smiled back at her and she felt herself relax.

"So... How do you two know each other?" George asked, annoying Anne to no end, by interrupting their moment. Richard broke eye contact first, and looked to his brother.

"Anne and I were in the same class before we moved." He explained. The older brother raised a questioning brow.

"Oh. I see."

"Well, you should probably get back to work..." Richard started and Anne nodded quietly. "Can I borrow that for a moment?" He pointed to her block and pen, and she handed it to him. He quickly scribbled down a number, then handed her the slip. "Call me when you get off, then we can meet and hang out. If you want to, of course." He smiled his shy smile, and Anne nodded eagerly, stuffing the note into her pocket. Suddenly she was quite okay with Izzy fixing her hair earlier that morning.

"So, you work as a model now? Well, that's no surprise." Anne smiled, as she took a sip of her coffee. It was only a little past 4 p.m, so Richard had asked her out for a cup of coffee when she'd called him.

"How is that?" He asked curiously, resting his hot chocolate on the table. Anne knew he'd always had a sweet tooth, so it was no surprise he wasn't fond of coffee. The question caught her off guard. She hadn't been paying attention to what she was saying, because she'd felt so relaxed in his company.

"Uhm, it's obvious... I mean, it's just... You look... Uhm, you know.." Her mumbling had him laughing, a heartfelt laugh that made Anne smile as well.

"I'll take that as a compliment." He smiled brightly at her.

Time passed by fast, but none of them were ready to leave each other's company. When it was nearly half past 7, Richard suggested they should go and get some food, and Anne was happy to accept the offer. They found a quiet place, nothing too fancy, and had a burger with fries each. Anne hadn't really thought about Richard for some time. She hadn't realized how much she'd actually missed him.

* * *

_"Anne! What's wrong?" Richard had found her after all. He always did. She had his back to him. She wasn't crying, she wouldn't cry. She turned around to face him, hiding all emotion. She was impressed by the way he always saw right through her._

_"They said you're leaving." She replied calmly. He looked a bit ashamed as he turned his gaze to the ground. "Is it true?" When he didn't give any reply, she stepped closer, grabbed his cheeks and forced his head up to look at her. "Richard, is it true?"_

_"It won't be forever. We'll still stay in touch." His voice was no more than a whisper, but she was so close she heard every word. She nodded sharply, trying still to hide how much it affected her. She could also see how stressed out he was about the situation, so she did the first thing she could think about - She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his head down, to kiss him gently on the mouth._

_"Of course we will." She assured him. "We'll always stay in touch."_

* * *

Richard had been her best friends since they were both very small. It was actually quite a wonder, that she hadn't recognized George, and he hadn't recognized her. But no matter what, she was so happy to have gotten him back in his life. Their promise to stay in touch had obviously not lasted for long - Teenagers have so much going on, it's hard to find time for even the most important of things.

After the first day, Richard was with her almost every single day. They had so much to talk about, so much to re-live. He would pick her up after work - Sometimes, they would go for a walk, or find a café to drink some coffee. Other times, they would go to one of their apartmens to watch movies or other things. It hadn't been more than 3 months, when Richard had gone on a modeling job in the other end of the country. When he returned, he immediately came to Anne.

"Do you love me?" He asked, as the first thing. Anne, who was caught of guard, especially since he had just shown up at the café while she was working.

"What?" She asked, confusedly.

"Do you love me?" He repeated calmly. She didn't know how to reply. Of course she loved him, but how could she say that just now? Instead she looked up into his eyes, and nodded slowly. He smiled at her reply. Two months later, she moved in with him. He proposed to her not long after that, and they had a small but perfect wedding ceremony not long after.

* * *

3 years later

* * *

"Anne! Anne, hurry!" Richard was yelling at her from the kitchen. She could hear Edward fumbling around in the kitchen.

"I'm coming!" She yelled back, grabbing a few more toys and stopping them into the bag. She hurried out in the kitchen and bent down to pick up her almost 2 year old son, who was giggling at her. Her heart melted, as his smile was like a complete copy of his fathers. She rushed out in the hallway, where Richard was already waiting. He looked all stressed out, and Anne had to fight the urge to giggle. He was always so punctual.

"We're gonna be late, there's no way we'll make it in time." He almost gasped. He was about to open the door, when Anne grabbed hold of his neck and pulled him in to kiss him gently. When he pulled away, he was visibly calmed and smiling at his wife and son. "But I'm sure Uncle Edward won't mind it that much. Uncle George is always late anyways, isn't he?" He said to their little boy, who was named after his oldest uncle. Little Edward just giggled at his father, and the happy family went on their way to Elizabeth's 12 years old birthday.


End file.
